Texas law bars adults from leaving loaded guns accessible to children younger than 17

Texas law bars adults from leaving loaded guns accessible to children younger than 17

In this May 20, 2018, interview, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas made an accurate claim about Texas law and children accessing loaded guns (ABC video, YouTube). Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told a national TV audience after the May 2018 Santa Fe High School shootings that he doesn’t see a need for more gun regulation in that Texas already bars children from having loaded weapons. We decided to check Patrick’s reference to law given that the admitted Santa Fe shooter reportedly used his father’s shotgun and handgun in the attack. Our research identified the 1995 law, though we also learned it wouldn’t apply to the Santa Fe incident due to the shooter’s age of 17. Patrick, taking questions from George Stephanopoulos on the May 20, 2017, edition of ABC’s This Week , said : "We have to look at ourselves, George. It’s not about the guns. It’s about us. Can there be gun regulation? "Gun control, I believe, starts at home, George. Every person who owns a gun must be accountable for their guns at home," Patrick said. "We don’t know all the facts yet. But this particular young man got his guns in some way from his parents’ home. You should have your guns locked up. It’s against the law in Texas to let any loaded gun get in the hands of a child, for example." Law confirmed Our online search for such a law led us to a web page about preventing Texas children from getting guns […]